Kansas farmers and ranchers know there is great beauty in agriculture, and photographers are encouraged to capture that beauty and share it with others through the Kansas Department of Agriculture's annual photo contest. KDA began accepting photos last week, and will continue accepting entries until the end of August.

This year's KDA Photo Contest categories were selected to promote different aspects of Kansas agriculture. Agriculture in the Fields, Animals of Agriculture, Agriculture in Town, Water in Agriculture, and County Fair categories will showcase the many places and ways we experience agriculture across the state of Kansas -- from the crops in the fields to the animals on the ranches, and from the farmers' markets and agribusinesses in communities across the state to the critical role water plays in Kansas agriculture. And for the first time we have a category to capture the magic of the county fair. In addition, there will be a separate Youth division, for young photographers age 19 and under. Prizes will be awarded to the top two winners in each of the six categories.

KDA serves to advocate for agriculture, the state's largest industry and economic driver. Photos which best capture the categories will be used throughout the year as we tell the story of Kansas agriculture. After submission, KDA is granted permission to use any photograph for publications, social media, websites, displays, etc. without payment or other consideration from the photographer.

Photo entries should be sent in .jpg format to KDA.PhotoContest@ks.gov. Entries must include a title and brief description, where and when the photo was taken, the photographer's full name and age, entry category hometown and email address.

Guidelines for the KDA Photo Contest, including deadlines, divisions and prizes, can be found at agriculture.ks.gov/photocontest. Voting to select finalists will begin on KDA's social media sites in September. For more information, contact Heather Lansdowne, KDA director of communications, at Heather.Lansdowne@ks.gov or 785-564-6706.